Groovin' at the LCM Annual Purim Chagigah
Students, Rebbeim Celebrate Purim, Help the Community
The cold is unrelenting, but we refused to let it put a damper on our Purim celebration.
We got off to a rollicking start, barely waiting for alumnus Melech Berlove to finish reading the Megillah on Motzei Shabbos before breaking into spirited dancing in the Beis. While the cafeteria was being set up for the chagigah, students took to the streets of Kew Gardens Hills, dancing, singing and collecting tzedakah. Over the course of the week we raised a few thousand dollars for members of the community who could use a little help.
Later, with the cafeteria finally set up, the lights went down and things got going. With everyone in costume and even the elevator walls adorned with black lights and neon, we lost ourselves in the dancing, enjoying the presence of our rebbeim and cameo appearances by President Alan Kadish and Chancellor Rabbi Doniel Lander. Even Rabbi Shmulewitz took to the dance floor, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the best Lander Purim Chagigah yet.
When the dancing was finally over we enjoyed a deluxe dairy melavah malkah meal. Though there were a wealth of good candidates (excluding anyone with an office inside the Student Center not named Ariel who decided he was too cool to dress up), Mimon Mamane was awarded first prize ($100 Visa gift card) in the costume contest for portraying the beloved Alfredo from facilities. Then we sat back and watched the annual LCM Purim Shpiel, written, produced, directed and starring Michael Davidson.
After the morning Megillah reading, close to 40 guys took part in the worldwide Yeshivas Mordechai HaTzaddik program that encourages Torah study on Purim, while others went back to jubilantly collecting tzedakah in the streets. In the afternoon everyone attended their rebbe’s seudahs and dropped in and out of Rabbi Bamberger’s annual Purim Shack celebration for more food and revelry.
And now we’re all very, very, very tired.
